## Chapter 1280 – An Extremely Ominous Being

—Flash.

My vision brightens.

—Crackle, crackle…!

The enhanced Protective Aura burns even more fiercely around my body. White light already blazes from my eyes. And so, I begin to see the inside of the barrier, which had been nothing but darkness.

Did the Eye Light have this effect? The more I dig, the more endless uses I find. With it, I can grasp the current situation more clearly.

“You crazy bastard!!!!!!”

The Dark Knight, now raving, begins to rush at me again. He’s getting faster and faster. At the same time, the ominous energy intensifies. Was he suppressing some kind of power with his reason? —Flash! I immediately shoot my body to the side.

—Thwaaang!

The Dark Knight slams on the brakes to chase me, flinging his body to the side after me. Then, he angles diagonally and charges toward me.

You simple-minded bastard.
I aim for that as I spread my hand.

“Demonic Divine Art.”

I deploy the Annihilation Jade. The burning sphere created above my fist grows larger and larger. His speed and mine are about the same. So, I keep running away, increasing the size of the Annihilation Jade to a certain level, and then…

“Demonic Annihilation Jade.”

I throw it at the Dark Knight charging toward me. —Flash! A square shield is created in front of him. Its size is only about eight meters wide and eight meters long.

Of course, a single Demonic Annihilation Jade, which is slightly less powerful than the Demonic Sky-Breaking Palm, can’t break that shield. But that’s not what I’m aiming for. It’s the bell behind him. Destroying that is the key to victory.

“Krooooar!!!”

He seemed to trust his durability and tried to come straight through, but… I didn’t throw the Annihilation Jade in a straight line. How did I throw it? That’s right.

“I threw it in a curve.”

The flying Demonic Annihilation Jade leaps over the shield and heads behind it. I already know that the ominous bell can’t withstand the Annihilation Jade. It would shatter just from the explosion.

And the moment I throw it, I immediately deploy the Demonic Sky-Breaking Palm.

—Whirl!

Because the Dark Knight turned his body backward in that instant. The bell floating behind him comes along, positioning itself in front of me.

“Where are you looking?”
“…!”

In that state.

I slam the Demonic Sky-Breaking Palm into him.

—Kwaaaaaaaang!!!

The flash explodes as it strikes the Dark Knight’s back. And the power of the just-exploded Demonic Annihilation Jade combines, shattering both bells.

—Flash!

And in that instant!!
Everything is undone again!

—…!

I realized it for sure! The immense energy I feel in that instant!!! Immediately deploying a second Demonic Annihilation Jade, I throw it casually, causing an explosion, and then jump high.

“Demonic Sovereign’s Gait.”

My body falls like a meteor. As I stomp on the ground with that force, —Kugugugugugung!!! An earthquake occurs, shaking the barrier! —Swish! Looking over, I see the Death Knight deploying purple flames to defend his surroundings.

I’ve roughly figured out everything about him.

After fighting for a while, I’ve read most of his methods, and I know how far my own methods can reach. The ominous bell was a concern, but it doesn’t work anymore.

Now that I’ve figured everything out.

“One-on-one. He’s specialized in head-on fights.”

He is strong.
But that’s all he is.

“Demonic Mirrorball.”

So, this time it’s not the Demonic Annihilation Jade, but the Demonic Mirrorball. The burning sphere created above my head slowly begins to rotate. The rotating mirrorball soon fires beams in all directions.

—Fwoosh!
—Fwoooooosh!

“Krrr…”

The Dark Knight is just focusing on protecting the bell with his power.

—Kwaaaang!
—Puh-uh-uh-uh-uhng!

The fired beams collide with his shield and flames, disappearing. However, the mirrorball’s output doesn’t end there. As the beams continue to fire, there’s nothing he can do.

—Crackle, crackle!

Of course, dark magic spears were occasionally fired, but those were just things I could easily intercept.

“Don’t have anything to say now? Completely overwhelmed?”
“Kuh…!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Demonic Mirrorball.”
“What…!”

And so, I.

Created a second Demonic Mirrorball. It floats higher than the first one and is deployed forward at a rapid pace according to my will. The advancing second mirrorball rotates, firing beams in all directions.

That eliminated the blind spots.

—Kwaaaang!
—Kuuuuuuuung!

The beams fired indiscriminately from the second mirrorball attack the bell behind the Dark Knight. He tried to defend against the beams using his shield and power, but…

—Kwaaaang!!

I wouldn’t let that happen.

The stage is set. I’ve learned through continuous fighting that he can’t respond to these techniques. The beams fired by the mirrorball don’t harm me at all. If those two facts are true.

It’s over.

“Time for you trash to dieeeeee!!!”
“You bastard!!!!”

The Dark Knight, reacting to my charge, raised his greatsword, but —Kwaaaang! That shattered one of the bells, and I used that moment to burrow into his chest and slam my fist into him!!!

—Kwaaaaaaaang!!!

The Dark Knight is sent flying.

At the same time.

The white beams fired from the mirrorball engulf the second bell, and at the same time, I!!!

—Gooooooo!!!

Consuming the power remaining in my body in an instant, I concentrated my strength to the extreme! Timing is important!! The gathered power permeates my fist and forearm as if compressed, and —Flash! Recognizing the bell cracking.

—Smash!

The moment the bell shatters!!!

“Demonic Sky-Breaking Palm!!!!!”

I unleash the ultimate Demonic Sky-Breaking Palm, containing the mysteries of the Zealot, piercing through the barrier.

「—Tooo Kwaaaaaaaang!!!!」

A flash explodes. A part of the barrier is broken. Confirming that a fairly large hole has been created, I check the shattered bell and the flying Dark Knight.

—Hwaaaak!

And the darkness of the barrier tries to cover it. In an instant. A very fleeting moment. In such a fleeting time that even I can’t confirm it unless it’s this very moment.

—Swoosh.

All of their figures disappear.

Right.

It wasn’t that it had never happened. It was just a phenomenon created by his power, the bell’s ability, and the barrier’s effect. His body, dissolved into the barrier, disappears for a moment and is restored perfectly in front of me.

The process passed very quickly. No wonder I felt like time had turned back with this bullshit. And my posture was changed as before.

“This isn’t weird either.”

My posture has changed.

It’s just that I changed my posture. To think of it a little easier… yeah. I just reflexively took the optimal posture.

My body and mind, honed through endless battles, naturally react to all phenomena. Always optimal. Best. Maintaining the strongest state. Earlier, that was the optimal posture, so my body just kept reacting reflexively like that.

I was just mistaken because all these phenomena happened in an instant within the completely black barrier. In reality, it was just a simple trick.

And.

—Crackle, crackle!
—Crack!!

The barrier breaks. Starting from the part I broke, pure white cracks begin to form, and —Kwaang! It continues to collapse. His extreme regeneration is only established inside a `perfect barrier`.

But the moment I broke the barrier, it ceased to be perfect. So, I aimed for that fleeting moment and shattered the barrier.

And so.

「—Pachangchang!!!!」

The pitch-black world collapsed like a shattered glass window.

The destruction of the barrier.

We were on a mountain.

“All of your tricks are revealed.”

That black bell must have been some kind of evil artifact that maintained the barrier. It enhances all power within the barrier and casts some kind of magic. So, if it’s broken, that trigger is activated. The restoration trigger. It’s like a last resort.

It’s tricky.
If you don’t know, you’ll get caught.

If it weren’t for me, I probably would have been caught.

So, how many times did I break that thing, three times? Four times?
Anyway, I broke it a lot.

It doesn’t work on me.

If Kim Katte here has clashed that much, it’s all over.

“Kuh…!”
“That’s all you are.”

The power he possessed was immense.

It might even be stronger than the power I hold now. But… decisively, his skills are inferior to mine. More than anything, as I thought earlier, he was a guy specialized in one-on-one duels and subduing individuals.

Techniques that seemed like they were brought specifically to kill me.

But I went to the desert and acquired ranged attack methods. I knew that the Demonic Annihilation Jade, which I had been hiding until the end of the battle, worked on the bell. If so, destroying the bell is easy.

“The guy who knew I had taken the fragment of God… didn’t even grasp my skill.”

He is strong, but.
Not enough to compete with this Kim Katte.

—Gooo.

I could distinctly feel the Dark Knight’s power decreasing now that he was outside the barrier.

“Yeah. That bastard Lich must have figured out about me, pinpointed me exactly, and tried to kill me. But he was wrong. You’re finished.”

The bell had disappeared.

Then let’s kill him now.

“Kuh…! Kuaaaaack…! Aaaaaack!!!”

At that moment.

He begins to tear at his helmet. —Tear! That shattered the thorn circlet. What? Is this bastard suddenly hurting himself?

“Boo-ooo-ooo!”

Even black liquid pours out of the helmet.

Did he go crazy because the barrier collapsed?
Or did he go berserk?

“You crazy psycho…!”

Anyway, I’m going to kill him!!

“Demonic Dropkick!!”

Deploying my wings, I flap them and kick off the ground with all my might, launching my body toward him. And so, the transcendent dropkick is fired,

—Buhguh-uh-uh-uh-uhng!!!

It slams accurately into the chest of the guy who’s tearing at his helmet. Then, as if the shell of a crustacean were bursting, the black armor he was wearing shattered.

You worthless bastard.

—Thud!
—Thud-thud-thud!!

The shattered dark armor couldn’t withstand the impact and flies backward. A scene like Iron Man combining his armor with his body, but in reverse.

The fragmented armor falls from his skin and flies away.

“Armor that doesn’t suit your station.”

That armor.

Was fused with his skin. Black energy droops from the inside of the armor. Of course, it breaks off and flies away. It’s impossible to withstand the Demonic Dropkick.

—Kooong!

Finally, when all the armor had flown away, its contents were revealed.

“Hmm?”

The Dark Knight, sent flying by the dropkick.
His bare body is fully revealed.

Well, I guess there’s a body inside.

Just as I was about to finish him off.

—Thump!

I feel some kind of wave.
At the same time, the guy who had fallen gets up abruptly.

“…”

Ash-gray hair. And skin as pale as that. His muscular body was stitched together like Frankenstein in places. His build and height are a little smaller than mine. The guy with long hair hanging down like a ghost stood awkwardly with his head bowed.

“Right.”

—Slither, slither.

Ominous power emanates from that body.

“You’re the real body.”

When the armor was shattered, the real body that had been trapped inside was released. Is that the real body? The body was stitched together like rags, but it wasn’t `combined` like the Death Knight of the past.

What that means is simple.

That’s not an undead created by combining various bodies. It’s not a synthesized monster or anything. Just… a human who underwent an evil surgery by the Lich.

—And a damn strong human at that.

That was his identity.

—Flash!

In an instant, the guy raised his head. His face was fairly normal, but red light blazed from his eyes.

The power felt there.

Is stronger than the Dark Knight from before.

Was the armor just a shackle?

I couldn’t move rashly.
I can’t see an opening.

“How’s the outside air?”
“…Krrr.”

Does he not have reason?

“Ah, uh… ahhhhh…”
“Is this bastard daring to babble in front of me?”

Trying to be cute, you son of a bitch!!!